Despite two decades of investment in improving mental health services, the mental health of Australians has not improved. This may be because haven’t been spending money on the right approach and need…
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott (centre) speaks to the media as Professor Patrick McGorry (right) and Senator Connie Fierravanti Wells look on during a press conference to launch the Liberal-National Party coalition plan for mental health.
LISA MAREE WILLIAMS/AAP
Launching the Coalition’s policy for Efficient Mental Health Research and Services late last week, Tony Abbott said he wished all his policy statements attracted such media attention. Given the Australian…
The global burden of death and illness attributable to mental disorders and illicit drug abuse has risen steadily in the last 20 years, two new studies have shown, but experts say policy is not keeping…
People who use LSD and other psychedelic drugs show fewer mental health problems, according to a large population-based study. Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology analysed…
Being sectioned in a mental hospital may not mean the best care.
Truester
Claims that doctors are sectioning mental health patients in order to get them access to beds on psychiatric wards amount to “more than anecdotal evidence”, according to a committee of MPs who have just…
Dark side of the moon: does it hold some power over us?
PA/Anthony Devlin
As a teenager I observed a strange phenomenon. On awakening from an unusually vivid dream, I would often find that the moon was full. And as the silvery light prevailed on subsequent nights, my nocturnal…
Prisoners’ mental health was identified as an issue in the 1700s.
Pickersgill Reef
As long ago as 1780, John Howard noted that prisons were housing more “idiots and lunatics” and emphasised the detrimental effects that this had on the prison regime for both sets of prisoners. But while…
Asylum seekers are often left traumatised by their journey. Will they be able to receive appropriate mental health treatment when processed and resettled in PNG?
EPA/Adrian Elang
It is currently unclear how Australia and Papua New Guinea will ensure a protective and supportive resettlement environment for refugees under the recently announced Regional Resettlement Arrangement (RRA…
There have been many studies into how our mental health can influence our recovery from illness or trauma - and maybe even help us live longer. But the worries of family and friends could also affect how…
The idea that mental health services are getting better is just smoke and mirrors.
Flickr/Erika Linds
Foundation essay: This article on the state of mental health services is part of a series marking the launch of The Conversation in the UK. Our foundation essays are longer than our usual comment and analysis…
The world might be a brighter place if we all shared our research.
Joe Burke
Over the past 25 years we have seen an explosion in top-level clinical trials in China. But only a tiny proportion of that research is available on the main databases used by doctors and researchers in…
There are many pieces to the mental health puzzle: and it isn’t all about the brain.
stephenphampshire
Do you believe ‘mental illness’ is all about brain chemistry? It wouldn’t be surprising if you did, because this is the message we regularly receive about various forms of troublesome feelings, thoughts…
Mental health services not racist but society could do better.
Flickr/image munky
Ethnic minorities aren’t more likely to be detained or “sectioned” under the Mental Health Act because of institutional racism, according to a new study. A relatively higher number of black and minority…
The declining health levels of asylum seekers should spark the Australian government to take action.
EPA/Made Mahardika
Seventy asylum seekers have been moved from the Manus Island immigration detention facility to Christmas Island following a long overdue decision by the Gillard government. The decision to keep families…
Enough is enough: protesters after a gang rape in Delhi shocked the world.
Flickr/ramesh_lalwani
Jo Adetunji, The Conversation y Emily Lindsay Brown, The Conversation
A third of women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence at the hands of a partner, according to the first comprehensive research of its kind. The report, published today by the London School…
Torture, not treatment: Guantanamo Bay detainees have been force fed using this kit. US department of defense.
Moors murderer, Ian Brady, is fighting to end his life. This week he has appeared in public for the first time since his trial in the 1960s. He has been force-fed for the past 13 years and is begging to…
To assess the risk of a schizophrenic attack, we try to work out the risk of a rare event in a bunch of people with a mixed bag of symptoms.
Flickr/daniellehelm
A violent attack by someone who is mentally ill quickly grabs the headlines. And it’s usually implied that mental illnesses are a preventable cause of violent crime. Tackle that and we can all sleep safer…
Want to be happy? It’s all about the green.
epSos.de/Flickr
Spending time with nature in our cities’ parks and gardens can improve individual satisfaction in life and make us less aggressive, anxious and stressed. So isn’t it time we placed access to nature alongside…
A teddy bear bought by murdered soldier Lee Rigby for his son, Jack, sits alongside a family photograph.
PA/Dave Thompson
The brutal killing of Drummer Lee Rigby on the streets of Woolwich has raised serious questions about the safety of our soldiers at home, and how such violence could affect their recovery from the psychological…
Professor, Canada Research Chair in Determinants of Child Development, Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary